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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Fantastic, a K-Tel Classic from 1973

In 1973, Vicki Lawrence had a hit with "The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia." Of course, who knew that a decade later she would be starring in Mama's Family. Most people know her from her stint on the Carol Burnett Show.

It was also a big year for Elton John: "Rocket Man" and "Crocodile Rock" were quite popular. Gary Glitter had "Rock and Roll Part Two." Tony Orlando was tying yellow ribbons on oak trees. Donny Osmond was singing something about the "Twelfth of Never," whatever that means.

K-Tel's 1973 compilation Fantastic had these hits and many more. As the commercial states: "22 Original Hits! 22 Original Stars!"

This is a very interesting album. It has some great hits and many misses---typical K-Tel actually. I was 5 years old when this album came out. I remember listening to some of the songs--Elton John and Tony Orlando in particular. As I listened to it again recently, I realized there were many songs that I simply do not remember. Blue Mink? New York City? Gunhill Road? Whatever happened to these bands?

More than any other K-Tel album I own, this album suffers from short versions of the songs. K-Tel managed to fit a lot of music onto their vinyl. This was often accomplished by making the gaps between the songs shorter and the grooves not as wide. K-Tel albums were not known for their fidelity. Many of the songs on this album fade early or are edited shorter. Some of the songs are less than two minutes long.

But that's okay. They still manage to give us almost 45 minutes of music on a single album. And the thing that Fantastic demonstrates about K-Tel is the eclectic variety that often appeared among the tracks. Nothing like going from Maureen McGovern with "The Morning After" to Rod Stewart's "Twisting the Night Away." K-Tel was the early version of the iPod "shuffle."

Join us in the month of June for a nostalgic trip to 1973, complete with music and movie trivia and much more. Fantastic will be featured on Adventures in Vinyl: the only show dedicated to the lost art of the K-Tel record compilation. We'll play the entire album---and we'll even flip it over for you.

Adventures in Vinyl can be heard Saturday mornings at 11 am (central) and on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm (central). And, as always, this program is completely commercial free.

It is amazing how well this album has held up over the years. I had it on eight-track tape as a kid, and had to reconstruct it (with full song versions) on my iPad. Listening to it just takes you right back to 1973.

It is amazing how well this album has held up over the years. I had it on eight-track tape as a kid, and had to reconstruct it (with full song versions) on my iPad. Listening to it just takes you right back to 1973.

It is amazing how well this album has held up over the years. I had it on eight-track tape as a kid, and had to reconstruct it (with full song versions) on my iPad. Listening to it just takes you right back to 1973.

I did the same thing on my iTunes - re-created this and about 60 other K-tel albums with the full-length hits, using the original album artwork. I listen to them quite often, they are the best blasts from the past.

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The Vinyl Voyage

Welcome to Vinyl Voyage Radio, offering an eclectic mix of tunes from the 1950s through today. Most of the songs we play are from original vinyl.

Streaming 24/7 from Brampton, Ontario.

Although music streams 24/7 on The Vinyl Voyage, we also produce several original radio programs. "Adventures in Vinyl," hosted by Bruce David Janu, highlights a single K-Tel album, streamed in its entirety. "Adventures in Vinyl" brings us back to a by-gone era when music was accompanied by hiss and pops. Only now, you don't need to get up to flip the record. We'll do it for you.

So grab a bean bag, turn down the lights and prepare to be transported to another time.